Labrador Coat
 

Hey i have a 2 year old yellow lab. His coat is starting to look/feal dry to me. I brush him often, just got a new brush from Sharper Image. But his coat just seems so dry. I have been mixing a egg or two into his food, but i am not noticing much change, if any.

So... What food do you feed your dog? Any ideas on the dog washing places? I would think that they would clean the coat, but dry it out more. I don't know though.

I am really confused on what to do, and we are moving into a new house where he will be able to spend a lot of time indoors, and i need to get him smelling and fealing (to the touch) good.

Thanks for the help, please throw any ideas my way!!!

Idaho

RE: Labrador Coat
 

Here is a cool site:
http://www.lrr.org/reading-room/stinky-dog.html

That is an idea to make sure he smells good.

Here is an item to buy, not as cost effective as the above site.
http://www.k9power.com/catalog/produ...products_id/43

RE: Labrador Coat
 

Are you washing him ,if so what soap .Buy a soap for dogs / short hair dogs . Some people use baby shampo ,that will dry out his coat .I have heard that a higher fat content food will help with the coat , also a "little" condisener .My lab gets peted alot and his coat is realy shiney.

RE: Labrador Coat
 

I haven't been washing him with anything more that some water and a towel.
I guess i will try going out and getting a dog shampoo.
thanks

RE: Labrador Coat
 

I had this same problem with my black lab. It got to the point that it looked like he had dandruff. The vet put him on omega fatty acids. The ones i use are from Pala-tech. You get 60 tablets for $10. Just give one daily until it clears up, then one every few days. I have not had a problem since.

RE: Labrador Coat
 

We had a similar problem with our chocolate lab...vet said to put a tablespoon or two of safflower oil on his food...it seemed to do the trick.

What is happening is the constant contact with water is washing away the dog's natural oils in his skin that keep his coat nice and shiney and smooth.

RE: Labrador Coat
 

What brand (and variety) of food are you feeding?

Are you giving your dog cooked or raw eggs?

RE: Labrador Coat
 

raw, it seemed to help a little bit before.
Last night i washed him with a tiny bit of white vinegar mixed with water, and brushed him for quite a while. He loved it. It made his coat feal a lot better that what it did feal like before. He also smelled quite a bit better. We give him atta' boy (sp?). I have been looking around for something better, just haven't found it yet. Science diet stuff does look like good stuff thou

RE: Labrador Coat
 

NO RAW EGGS !!! never give raw eggs to any mammal. Egg white (albumin) can only be digested if it's coagulated. There are only 2 ways to coagulate albumin - one is by cooking, the other is by the animal using HUGE amounts of a nutrient called Biotin. If you give your dog raw eggs, they can quite easily become Biotin deficient (not a good thing).

IMO, Atta Boy is junk (the bag has more nutrition than the contents). You need a good premium grade dog food. If your dog works hard (trains and hunts a lot) it neds 30% protein and 20% fat. If your dog is "average" in physical exertion, a 26%/16% should be alright.

Best three brands (in order) Eagle Pack, Diamond or Black Gold.

RE: Labrador Coat
 

Great, thanks for the information. I was oringinally told to put raw eggs into the food by a friend, obviously they have/had no idea what they were talking about.

I went to a Farm and Home store today and saw that they had some Science Diet with a ratio of 28-18. Would that be good?? The food was specifically for curing dry coats and skin.

What do you think?
Thanks for the help,
Idaho

RE: Labrador Coat
 

I use Science Diet exclusively for my lab and coon hound. I feed the adult large breed. It costs more but they eat less. They digest more of it, and less comes out the back end. If you look at the protein level on it, it is not overly high. Dogs can only digest 24-26% protein. So if you buy 28% or higher, it goes out the back end. Waste of money, and of your backyard/kennel.

RE: Labrador Coat
 

Not always true. It has been shown that a HARD WORKING dog can utilize up to 40% protein.

I *think* Science Diet has corn as the first ingredient -- or else it contains soybean. Look at your label and let me know. Thanks

RE: Labrador Coat
 

Doc's post on raw eggs is right on the money. More than likely the cause of the poor coat is the food. Switch to a higher quality food and in a few weeks you should see mark improvement. The first four ingrediants should have have two meat sources of protein. Avoid foods with corn and wheat, there is a high rate of reactions with foods containing them.

RE: Labrador Coat
 

Yes i will check out the corn thing. I have heard of that before. I didn't see any of your top food brands at Farm and home. Do you have to purchase them online??? lol, where do you purchase yours?

RE: Labrador Coat
 

I feed Eagle Pack. Go to www.eaglepack.com They have a 'dealer locator' link on their site.

As long as a dog isn't allergic to corn, there's nothing wrong with it as an ingredient. You just don't want corn as the first ingredient. Soybeans contain a lot of protein, that most animals can utilize quite well, the problem is that dogs don't utilize soy protein well at all.

Recent research shows that 30% protein dog food reduces injuries.

RE: Labrador Coat
 

Yes i found that locator on the site and it told me to go to Farm and Home, I went there, and they didn't have it. I will keep looking, and i will check out the ingredients today! thanks for all of your patience.

RE: Labrador Coat
 

Talk to them -- if they are an authorized dealer, they can order it.

RE: Labrador Coat
 

That is one reason that I use Science Diet for my lab.

DocE- the first ingredient is corn meal on it FYI.

RE: Labrador Coat
 

I agree, science diet is a good brand

RE: Labrador Coat
 

I can take an old leather shoe and some motor oil and get the nutrient analysis to read 30% protein. what is important is how much of the nutrients the dog can digest. i have fed my dog both Diamond and Science diet- he eats and poops alot less on the Science Diet, so he must be digesting and absorbing it better.